Town weeps as shock hits home

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NEWTOWN, Conn. — Raymond Baker wept yesterday for a kindergarten girl gunned down with more than two dozen other victims — mostly children — at the scene of a horrific elementary school mass shooting.

“It’s awful. She was a lovely, sweet girl. I saw her in church and she was always so respectful and said, ‘Peace be with you,’ ” said Baker, who declined to identify the 6-year-old — the daughter of a family friend — ahead of authorities, who have yet to release the names of those who died after a gunman stormed Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Newtown residents flocked to Mass at St. Rose of Lima Church last night as the small bedroom community braced for authorities to release victims’ names.

They packed the church and hundreds more stood outside — more than 10 people deep — peering into the stained glass windows, straining to hear the choir music.

“We still don’t know who we might know,” said Dr. Frank Forno, who runs a local family practice.

He said he came to pray with his wife, Kate, while they wait to hear if any of his patients — parents, kids and grandparents — had connections to victims of the heartless massacre.

Cynthia Alvarez, a third-grader at Sandy Hook Elementary School, clutched her mother, Lilia, and buried her face in her mother’s coat.

Lilia said her daughter didn’t see much because of her teacher’s quick reaction.

“Right now, I came to support everybody who were not as fortunate to be as lucky,” she said.

Dorene Via, a mother of three boys who do not attend the school, said she still believes the school system is safe and the tight-knit community will come together to support the victims’ families.

“It’s just a person did a bad thing. No parent wants to go through this,” Via said. “But there’s no town I’d rather go through this with than Newtown.”